Motorists frustrated by snarl-ups on a busy Heston road clearly hadn't bargained for the slow-turning wheels of Hounslow politics.

It is five years since residents living in and around Sutton Road began campaigning for an end to their traffic misery, yet they are still waiting for any action.

After much pressure, planning chiefs finally unveiled two schemes last week which they believe will ease congestion on the popular cut-through.

The first option would see raised tables at the junctions with Upper Sutton Lane and Heston Road, a widened footpath and double yellow lines added at an estimated cost of up to £51,000.

The second option omits the raised tables, slashing the maximum cost to £31,000, but includes the option of a speed-activated sign.

Councillors are due to discuss both proposals at next Thursday's meeting of the Heston and Cranford area committee.

A report by Jay Gopal, the council's director of environment, blames the long delay in reaching this stage on 'staffing resourcing difficulties'.

Earlier this month Nick Marbrow, of Sutton Road, called for an independent investigation into why the project had taken so long to get off the ground.

A council spokeswoman explained that the traffic calming scheme was first tabled at a planning meeting in September 2004, when it was among seven similar proposals competing for existing funds. She added that committee members were last updated on its progress in May.